John Magufuli Declared Winner in Tanzania’s Presidential Election

An election billboard showing John Magufuli, who was named president-elect by the National Electoral Commission on Thursday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.Credit
Daniel Hayduk/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

NAIROBI, Kenya — John Magufuli, a surprise candidate, trained chemist and government minister appreciated for his corruption-busting tactic of hiding in trucks and popping out at weigh stations to nail crooked police officers, handily won Tanzania’s presidential election, the National Electoral Commission announced on Thursday.

Mr. Magufuli, who turned 56 on Thursday, trounced his closest rival, Edward Lowassa, a former prime minister and opposition leader, getting 58 percent of the vote to his 40 percent. Mr. Magufuli’s victory extends the rule of the Party of the Revolution, also known as Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or C.C.M., the once-socialist political party that has dominated Tanzania, under one name or another, since independence in the 1960s.

“This election is sending signals that it is almost impossible to dislodge C.C.M. from power,” said Kitila Mkumbo, an education professor at the University of Dar es Salaam. “It is so much connected to the government, very much connected to people’s lives. It’s present everywhere.”

Mr. Lowassa has not conceded defeat, refusing to sign papers closing off the election and filing a petition with the election commission demanding a recount. He complained bitterly this week that the governing party had rigged the election, held Sunday, though he and other opposition leaders failed to provide much evidence.

Historically, Tanzania has been one of the most peaceful and unified African nations, an exception to the bitter ethnic rivalries that dog many of its neighbors. So far, this election has been mostly peaceful. But with the leading opposition party refusing to concede, many people are still worried about protests.

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Tanzania’s Election Results

The electoral commission chairman announced the results in Tanzania’s presidential election, declaring that John Magufuli was the winner.

On the island of Zanzibar, a semiautonomous part of Tanzania, the normally vibrant streets were deserted. Zanzibari officials abruptly canceled the results from all of Zanzibar’s local elections on Wednesday, saying there had been widespread fraud, interference and even fistfights between election managers, and set new elections in 90 days. The annulment did not affect the nationwide presidential tally.

In the northern city of Arusha, the gateway to Tanzania’s stunning wildlife reserves, police officers known as the Field Force Unit prowled neighborhoods. The city has been quiet for days, with many businesses and restaurants closed.

“I’m very worried because everybody has their own results,” said Idrisa Jaffary, a disappointed opposition supporter in Arusha. “On social media there are results flying everywhere.”

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Mr. Jaffary, like many others, said he did not trust the official results.

Mr. Magufuli, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, has been a stalwart in the governing party for years, first as a member of Parliament, then working his way up through several ministries before becoming the minister of public works. Though many Tanzanians are tired of the governing party — and the corruption that has blossomed under it — Mr. Magufuli pitched himself as honest and hard-working. He was an underdog in the race to secure his party’s nomination, and his campaign billboards referred to him as “the ethical one.”

That was a not-so-slight dig at Mr. Lowassa, who defected to the opposition only after he was passed over as the governing party’s candidate. Analysts say the opposition may have erred by then turning to Mr. Lowassa to be its standard-bearer. Mr. Lowassa, 62, has been implicated in major corruption scandals and his health is not good.

The election was close by Tanzanian standards. In the 1970s and 1980s, Tanzania was a one-party state, and in the previous two presidential elections the governing party won by more than 60 percent of the vote.

Mr. Magufuli sent out a celebratory Twitter message after he was declared the winner: “This day is big and very important in my life. On my birthday, I have got approval from Tanzanians to lead them in the position of president.”

A version of this article appears in print on October 30, 2015, on Page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Governing Party’s Candidate Wins Tanzanian Presidency . Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe